Friday, October 14, 2005

DC Gossip

I have been making the rounds this morning in DC. My contacts tell me that Patricia Madrid will make her announcement on Monday that she will take on Heather Wilson for that congressional seat.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee will most likely pull out the stops for Patsy and raise her money for this race. One always has to hedge their bets with the DCCC however because they are a brutally mathematical machine. They base all of their decisions on numbers and if halfway through the election campaign they feel there is a stronger candidate somewhere else in the country that needs more help, they will walk out all all promises to other candidates. It makes sense but leaves many enemies.Patsy will make a good candidate and I will help her take down another 'compassionate conservative' republican any day. Did you ever wonder why they came up with that phrase anyway? Liberals don't have to put the word compassionate in front of their label for people to figure out who they are.

Last night Bobbi and I went out for dinner and a movie. We saw "Good Night and Good Luck." It is the movie about CBS News, Edward R. Murrow and Fred Friendly taking on fear monger Senator Joeseph McCarthy in 1953-54. I actually remember those broadcasts. My dad really didn't like McCarthy and thought he was dangerous. He was dangerous and the pioneering broadcasters exposed him.

Think about this, today we have Fox News.

I attended Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism in 1970. Fred Friendly was then head of the faculty and was an inspiration to me in my early career as a journalist. I feel honored to have known him.

Isn't Patricia Madrid embroiled in this Vigil mess for refusing to investigate it earlier? That to me says politics as usual. Can't we find a better candidate without this kind of baggage because you know it will come up in the campaign?

About Me

Jim Baca has a strong record of visionary service to New Mexico. He retired as the State of New Mexico's Natural Resource Trustee 1n 2010. He has served as Mayor of the City of Albuquerque, as well as two prior terms as New Mexico’s elected State Land Commissioner. He served as the Director of the National Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior in the first Clinton Administration. Jim Baca also serves on the Boards of numerous non profit organizations including The Wilderness Society and the Wyss Foundation and the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.
Baca has run a successful public affairs consulting practice when not serving in public office. He spends his retirement playing golf, attending board meetings, and generally doing what ever he wants to do.